Passing the Test

Proverbs 17:3 “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for the gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” ESV

Being a teacher, I give many tests each year; and every year students ask me, “Why do you have to test us?”I am sure they speculate: Is it to torture us? Is it to make us memorize useless information? Is it because you want to see if you can trick us, Mrs. Stiles? Many students believe the answer to the questions above are all…yes. They believe I want to see if I can fail them or deprive them of their sleep. Others of them think, tests are a necessary evil; or a way to gain status above others. I on the other hand, I see tests as an objective way to see how students have grown and improved. I also see tests as a way to show students how they have grown and improved. In my devotional time this morning, God pointed out to me that He is in the business of testing as well. His tests are not about Math, History, …, but His tests are about showing us how far we have come and about pointing out our continued areas of weakness. He, like a teacher, is constantly testing our hearts to show us what He has instilled in us. He isn’t tempting us, He is just rigorously testing us to make sure we are the best we can be. Think of it this way: Would you want to drive a car that hasn’t been rigorously tested? Would you want to get prescriptions from a pharmacist that hasn’t been rigorously questioned and proven to have the acquired knowledge to dispense drugs? Would you want to protected by a policeman that hasn’t been trained to shoot a gun? The answer to all of these questions is obliviously…no! So then why are we shocked that the God of the universe wants to test and approve the messengers of the most important message of all time? Why are we amazed when God wants us to learn to hear His voice and sit at His feet for instruction?

So how do we pass the test? We sit at God’s feet each morning and as tests come we depend upon the instruction we have been given. We take the tests we have failed and we review them and get further instruction. Bottom line we become good students, students who study and apply the knowledge we have learned. We love and respect our instructor, God, and receive every word with anticipation.